December 2011
Allied aces of WWI
  • Eddie Rickenbacker
  • 1 December 2011

  • By Murray McLeod

  • Edward Vernon Rickenbacker achieved fame as America’s top-ranking ace of World War 1. It was one facet in a career that encompassed automobile manufacturing, motor racing and a host of corporate activities. He was born in Columbus Ohio in 1890, the son of William and Elizabeth Reichenbacher. The Teutonic origins of the family name caused him to change it to an Americanised version as ‘Rickenbacker’. Following America’s entry into the war he was hounded by the their Secret Service and at one stage Scotland Yard actually arrested him; such was the anti-German hysteria that prevailed.

    The Auto Racer

    Following the death of his father in 1902 the young Rickenbacker was not afforded the privilege of a secondary education. Instead he was obliged to leave primary school at twelve years of age and find employment to support himself and his widowed mother. Initially he worked at a variety of firms, notably at a garage repairing motor cars where he showed an early aptitude for mechanics. At the same time he advanced his experience through correspondence courses in engineering and draughtsmanship. Rickenbacker’s success in mechanics and sales led him to motor racing where he became a consistent winner on American tracks. Over the following six years he became one of the leading U.S. racers, competing in the Indianapolis 500 classic and also creating a world’s speed record of 134 mph at Daytona Beach. At the peak of his career he was reputed to be earning $40,000 annually, a fabulous sum in those days.

    World War 1

    In April 1917 following America’s entry into the war any racing activities were abruptly terminated, prompting Rickenbacker to apply for the pilot’s course with the U.S Army Air Service. To his dismay he was initially rejected due to his age (27 years) and lack of a college education. As an alternative he enlisted in the Army and because of his fame as a race driver he was assigned as a personal driver to General Pershing, G.O.C.of the American Expeditionary Force. Although the posting was not entirely to his liking it did offer opportunities to advance his aviation prospects through his contacts with General Billy Mitchell, chief of the Air Service, whose influence saw Rickenbacker being accepted for pilot training.

    The Ace of Aces

    Following an intensive course at the Aviation Instruction Centre Rickenbacker qualified as a pilot in the remarkable time of 17 days. However his engineering background was so regarded that rather than being posted to a fighter unit he was assigned to 3rd Aviation Instruction Centre as chief engineering officer. Impatient to be involved in aerial combat it took many requests for Rickenbacker to be released from his engineering situation, until finally he became a pilot with the newly formed 94th Aero Squadron. Their initial equipment was the rotary engine Nieuport 28, and although it represented the peak of the Nieuport scout’s development it was powered by the thoroughly unreliable Gnome Monosoupape engine and also earned an unwanted reputation for shedding its upper wing fabric in any violent manoeuvre.

    Rickenbacker’s C.O. and mentor was the mercurial soldier of fortune Raoul Lufbury who on March 19 led the first American patrol over enemy lines. The three pilots on that significant occasion were Major Lufbury, Lt.Campbell and Lt.Rickenbacker. His first victory was on 29 April and by 30 May he achieved ‘ace’ status with his fifth. At age 27 Rickenbacker was older than the average pilot, which was reflected in his judgment and maturity in combat flying. The period between June and August 1918 saw Rickenbacker recovering from a mastoid operation and it is reasonable to assume that but for that setback he may well have doubled his score.

    It was September before he returned to duty and by the end of the month he achieved 6 more victories. During that period he was appointed C.O. of the 94th Aero Squadron, holding that position until the Armistice. The squadron had recently exchanged its Nieuports for the more amenable Spad XIII, which Rickenbacker used to good effect to add a further 14 to his score during October. At the end of hostilities on 11 November his score stood at 26, making him America’s ‘Ace of aces’ and also a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor.

    Post War Activities

    Rickenbacker returned home to a hero’s welcome and was bombarded with lucrative offers from movie and advertising companies. These approaches were summarily dismissed and he involved himself in a host of corporate projects. These were associated with aviation and automobiles, and one that deserves mention was the manufacture of one of the finest vehicles of the time. Naturally enough it was named the ‘Rickenbacker’, and it incorporated features that later became standard throughout the industry. But the project was not sufficiently funded to withstand the fluctuations of Wall Street and like so many other marques it subsequently failed. In 1927 he acquired an interest in the Indianapolis Speedway and served as president of the company until he disposed of his interests in 1945.

    Eastern Airlines

    In 1926 Rickenbacker began an involvement with commercial aviation, founding Florida Airways which was shortly sold to an emerging Pan American Airways. After serving as vice president with General Aviation Corporation he joined North American Aviation as vice president and then moved to its subsidiary Eastern Air Transport which was eventually re-organised as Eastern Air Lines. His tenure with Eastern began in 1934, a period when the Army Air Corps were poised to take over the airmail contracts. Rickenbacker was opposed to such a move and to demonstrate the civil airline’s capacity to continue the contracts he flew the sole Douglas DC1 ever built in a coast to coast record of just over 13 hours. Under his leadership Eastern advanced its place in American civil aviation, showing its first profit since its inauguration. The ageing fleet was replaced by the new 14-passenger DC2 and by 1938 Rickenbacker and several associates were in a position to purchase the re-born airline with Rickenbacker elected as president and general manager.

    World War 2

    By 1941 the airline was serving 40 cities with their fleet of iconic DC3s but with the onset of war it was faced with major changes. Eastern was obliged to hand over half of its fleet to the armed services, while many of its pilots left to join the Army Air Corps. Once again Rickenbacker volunteered to serve his country; this time as a non-military observer for Secretary of War Henry Stimson. This tenure involved a great deal of travel and a measure of Rickenbacker’s durability was displayed during that period when on such a flight his aircraft was forced to ditch in the Pacific Ocean. In an epic demonstration of survival he and his companions existed on limited rations for 21 days until their rescue. This experience convinced Rickenbacker as to the absolute necessity of adequate survival gear aboard military aircraft, with such measures being installed as standard equipment.

    Post War Activities

    In a post-war situation Rickenbacker focused once more on Eastern Airlines, expanding routes and updating the fleet with Lockheed Constellations and Douglas DC4s. In 1953 after 53 years of service he moved up to be chairman of the board but found it difficult to give control to the new president, until in 1963 he finally retired to a ranch in Texas with his wife Adelaide, however the remoteness of the property did not suit the couple who resettled in Florida. America’s ‘Ace of Aces’ died of pneumonia in 1973 while on a visit to Switzerland.. Edward Rickenbacker endeared himself to millions of Americans in the course of a career that spanned two World Wars.